An Evaluation of Body Image

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Introduction “You can’t rely on how you look to sustain you.”(Nyongo, 2014) On March 1st,2014, Lupita Nyongo, Oscar Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years A Slave, gave a moving speech expressing the thoughts of a young girl. An adolescent young girl wrote a letter stating her perception of being colored. She looked for medication in order to obtain lighter skin. Her self-hate consumed her and slowly prevented her from accepting who she is. The girl struggled with her self-esteem. The young girl is encouraged by several women in black society. People such as Oprah, Alek Wek and Lupita herself were the cause of the young girl’s encouragement. She went on a self-discovery of what makes someone beautiful. The girl’s mother states that she can’t eat beauty and that it is not something that could be consumed. (Nyongo, 2014). The letter persuades young girls that compassion is the key to sustain beauty. Nyongo expresses that emotional courage of oneself is accepting and embracing her external beauty. This paper clarifies the correlation of body image and the media upon African American girls. The relationship between them influences society perception of beauty. Beauty is usually encompassed with physical appearances and is associated with body image. Girls' projection of beauty is directly related to body image. The standards of beauty are defined throughout society. The aspects that will be focused on is body image. Society's portrayal of beauty is seen as unattainable which is similar to the standards of body image. Literature Review Body image is the view of one’s current body size. (Baturka, Hornsby, & Schorling, & John, 2000) People desire to have the ideal body persona. It is said their perception ... ... middle of paper ... ...y Hills. 1 Mar. 2014. Speech. Tracy, O.P. (2006). Hey girl, am I more than my hair?: African american women and their stuggles with beauty, body image image, and hair. NWSA Journal, 18(2), 24-51. Retreived from http://search.proquest.com/docview/233235409?accountid=12387 Harriger, J., & Thompson, J. (2012). Hollywood and the Obsession with the Perfect Body. Sex Roles,66(9/10), 695-697. Gordon, M. K. (2008). Media contributions to African American girls' focus on beauty and appearance: Exploring the consequences of sexual objectification. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 32(3), 245-256. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00433.x Low, J. (2014, February 20). Where's the Diversity, Hollywood? 85 Years of the Academy Awards. the open book. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://blog.leeandlow.com/2014/02/20/wheres-the-diversity-hollywood-85-years-of-the-academy-awards/

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